The Bangladeshi CV format explained
A CV written for a Bangladeshi employer looks different from one written for a British or American one — and the differences are deliberate, not mistakes.
International CV advice tells you to drop your photograph, never state your date of birth, and keep everything to one page. Applying that advice locally will produce a CV that looks incomplete to the person reading it. The conventions below are what most employers in Bangladesh expect.
The expected sections
1. Career objective
A short statement of what you are looking for, placed at the very top. International CVs have largely replaced this with a professional summary, but locally it is still standard and its absence is noticed.
Keep it to two sentences and make it specific to the role. A generic objective that would suit any job at any company is worse than none — it signals a CV sent out in bulk.
2. Career summary
Two or three lines on your experience so far. If you are a fresh graduate, this can be folded into the objective rather than padded out.
3. Academic qualifications
Listed most recent first, and in more detail than an international CV would use. Each entry typically carries the degree, institution, board or university, group or major, result (CGPA or GPA with the scale), and passing year.
Always state the scale. "CGPA 3.65" is ambiguous; "CGPA 3.65 out of 4.00" is not. The same applies to GPA 5.00 out of 5.00 at SSC and HSC level. Recruiters comparing many candidates should not have to guess.
4. Employment history
Most recent first, with organisation, role, location and dates. Describe what you did in a few concrete lines rather than a long list of duties — what you produced or improved is more useful than what you were responsible for.
5. Training and certifications
A section international CVs often omit, but which carries real weight locally, particularly for fresh graduates with limited work history. Include the course, the institution and the year.
6. Special skills and language proficiency
Keep skills concrete. "Microsoft Excel" and "bank reconciliation" tell a recruiter something; "hardworking" and "team player" do not. For languages, name the level — native, professional working proficiency, conversational.
7. Personal details
This is the section international CVs deliberately omit, and Bangladeshi CVs expect. Typically: father's name, mother's name, date of birth, nationality, religion, gender, marital status, present address and permanent address.
The distinction between present and permanent address is genuine and worth filling in properly — many employers use it to gauge whether you have roots near the posting.
8. Career preferences
Job level, job type, expected salary and preferred location. Expected salary is the awkward one. If you are unsure, "negotiable" is acceptable; an unrealistic figure will filter you out before an interview where you could have made your case.
9. References
Usually two, with name, designation, organisation, phone and email. Unlike the international convention of "references available on request", listing them is normal here. Ask permission first — a referee surprised by a call reflects badly on you.
10. Declaration and signature
A single line confirming the information is accurate, followed by your name and the date. Formal, and frequently expected. Something like: "I confirm that the information provided is accurate to the best of my knowledge."
The photograph
A passport-style photograph in the top corner is standard. It should be recent, plain-background and formal. This is the opposite of the advice given for CVs in the UK, US, or Germany, where photographs are discouraged to reduce hiring bias — so if you are applying both locally and abroad, keep two versions rather than one compromise.
Length
The one-page rule does not apply. Two pages is normal, and three is acceptable for an experienced candidate, because the format carries sections an international CV does not. What matters is that every line earns its place — length from substance is fine, length from padding is not.
Format and file name
Send a PDF unless the employer specifically asks for a Word document. PDFs render identically everywhere; Word files shift layout between versions and devices. Name the file with your own name — CV_YourName.pdf — not cv_final_v2.pdf.
Build one
CVora has this format built in, with the local section order, the photograph, the declaration and signature blocks, and the education fields that take board, group, result and passing year separately.
See also: preparing a CV for Bdjobs applications and the marriage biodata format.